A Tale of Two Cities ch. 5-8

Summary: Daraney returns to trial in France, with his worried family is there to support him. Manette, knowing of the prisons there, tells his daughter to stand outside Barneys window so he could see her. She does so and encounters many people: a man with an axe, and a large group of revolutionists dancing in the streets by her. In the next chapter the trial couldn't have gone better, with the help from Manette, Daraney is taken home, for he tells of his stance in the whole aristocracy/peasant disagreement and the crowd seemed to love that about him. However everything takes turn the next day, as soldiers return to Darneys home to arrest him again. When Manette asks who accused Darany, he is told that it is the Defarges and one other person. Back in England, Sydney carton comes up with a solution to Darneys situation, for he has found the really spy from 13 years earlier. He believed that information could help Darnay's trial right now in France, so he takes Braton with him to France to help with Daraney.

Quote: "There could not be fewer than five hundred people, and they were dancing like five thousand demons. They danced to the popular revolution song, keeping a ferocious time that was like a gnashing of teeth in unison."

Significance of Quote: In this quote, Dickens is describing the anticipation and excitement of the rowdy crowd. Death and crime was what they found fascinating during this time. “...dancing like five thousand demons,” symbolises how the revolution had changed the poor, sad people of France; and of course we cannot ignore the imagery this quote paints for the readers, fro when you read this all you see is a crowd full of crazed, animal like peasants.

Reflection: Everything in the story is piecing together like a puzzle, for now all the people we believed had no point in this story have shown their purpose. Also, as we go deeper into the plot, we can see that Dickens is starting to put together all the original people back in the same spot as they were 13 years ago. With Draney as the accused in a crime,and Lucy, Mr. Lorry, Manette, Defarge, as suspects; and of course now Sydney Carton is returning to France to be Darneys lawyer for the second time. The book is shaped as a circle, beginning and ending in the same place. However, we cannot forget the small mystery still in place, who ever else is involved in Delaneys resentencing.

Question: Is the third accuser Mr.Lorry?

A Tale of Two Cities ch.1-4

Summary: Daraney is taken prisoner by french revolutionaries, and is put in a jail cell to wait for Defarge. He asked Defarge for help, but Defarge thought he was too suspicious so he didn't help him. Daraney was then brought to the worst place in france, as Dickens describes it as death. His imprisonment brings Lucie and Dr.Manette to France to Lorry in the next chapter. Manette is told that revolutionists are planning to destroy La Force, where Daraney is held; so he then runs out into the outside crowd and calls for help. In chapter 3, Defarge delivers a message to Lorry from Manette, who had fled in the earlier chapter. Lorry follows all the instructions and hides Lucie, her daughter, and Miss Pross away with Defarge and his wife to watch over them. The plan is set into action… The Next chapter, Manette returns from La Force,after persuading them not to kill off Daraney. He also had gotten himself a job, and that will ensure Darneys safety in La Force. In this chapter the queen and king of France are beheaded due to the revolution.

Quote:  "Above all, one hideous figure grew… the figure of the sharp female called La Guillotine. It was the popular theme for jests; it was the best cure for headache, it infallibly prevented the hair from turning grey, it imparted a peculiar delicacy to the complexion, it was the National Razor which shaved close."

Sig. of Quote: “La Guillotine”, is really the tool the revolutionists prefered to use in beheading (for they used it to behead the king and queen). By giving the slaughter tool a name and having many admirers, it is a great personification example.

Reflection: Over all the years, this group of people have been brought together, but until now, we never knew exactly why. They have become close friends, and now they are on a mission together. Dr.Manette, being a frigid and puny little man throughout the entire novel so far, has begun to change during his mission. Dickens says that Mr.Lorry noticed that Manette seemed more confident, sure, and strong;as opposed to his usual scared, timid self Lorry has been used to being around. However, the new Manette that Dickens had described may be the original, before he was imprisoned by the French. Before he snapped and went crazy… This “new” Manette may actually be the real one.

A Tale of Two Cities ch22-24

Summary: in these chapters, The peasants of France have started to revolt against the rich. In chapter 22 they all gather together after they find the man who told them to eat grass if they were hungry; and murdered him, hanging from the neck 3 times. The next chapter is just as bad, for in the countryside they set a church afire, and go after all the wealthy people of the area, letting a tax collector get away. Chapter 24 isn't very chaotic as the other two; we are brought ahead three years, when France is still having problems with the poor, and England is where all the aristocrats of France are taking cover in. Lorry is assigned to go to France to collect important papers and stuff for those in England, Daraney tried to persuade him not to go, however Lorry still goes, after receiving an urgent letter.

Quote: " Darnay, unable to restrain himself any longer, touched Mr. Stryver on the shoulder and said: ‘I know the fellow’"

Significance of quote: Manette, once being imprisoned by a Marquis, whom Daraney is telling Stryver about. What Daraney isn't telling Manette is that he is a Marquis, and he wants Stryver to keep quiet until he returns from delivering the message to France.

Reflection: Throughout the book so far, we have had signs and foreshadowing that the French poverty would snap. They were treated horribly by everybody, and Dickens loved to describe how they lived. We can now clearly see the difference between England and France, where France is chaotic and horrible to be, and England is where people are going for protection. England is stable and a bright place compared to the gloomy, grey France. Mr.Lorry being assigned to travel to France isn't good, for he can either join the revolts or be a target.

A Tale of Two Cities Ch 7-9

11/21/13 A Tale of Two Cities Ch 7-9

Summary: In chapter 7 we meet a rude, rich man named Monseigneur. He hosts a very fancy party. After the party, as Monseigneur is in his carriage, he runs over a child. He threw money at the father, who was being comforted by Defarge. Monseigneur arrives in the countryside in chapter 8; the country is just as grey, sad, and poor as the city. He is given bad looks, once he asks a man why hes looking at him so meanly, the old man tells him that a woman is holding onto the bottom of his carriage. Later, a mourning woman asks the wealthy Monseigneur to give her husband a gravestone. We then learn, in chapter 9, that Darnay is Monseigneurs nephew. Darnay wants the family property to be inherited to his name when his uncle dies, which is coincidental because the next morning, Monseigneur was found dead in his bed with a note on  the dagger.

Quote: “‘It is extraordinary to me,’ said he, ‘that you people cannot take care of yourselves  and your children. One or the other of you is for ever in the way. How do I know what injury you have done my horses? See! Give him that.’”

Significance of Quote: This quote shows how truly horrible and self centered Monseigneur is. His coach ran over a little boy and left him dead, yet he is only worried about his horses and how he is now a little bit more late then he is already. He threw a couple coins at the mourned father, and one coin to Defarge to pick up the diseased boy. Monseigneur is one of those men who believe their money can solve everything. He doesn't know the feeling of being poor and living on the streets like that father, and he certainly doesn't know the feeling of loss that he gave the father.

Reflection: Of course, Monseigneur wasn't just a random story thrown into the book for fun, he was tied into Defarges life the day he killed the boy, and is Darnay's uncle. He must have something to do with the whole mystery. His death may be another question, but it has to tie together with all the other unanswered questions Dickens has created so far. Darnay being his nephew was no coincidence, it was on purpose, to make Darnay seem like a murderer, or to create an evil villain. Over the chapters there were signs of foreshadowing his death, like in chapter 7; the woman at the exit when he left, she said “to the devil”, damning him to hell. Also, in chapter 8, the mourning wife asking for him to give her husband a gravestone. We cannot forget the death of the little poor boy. Those are all foreshadowing his death, for he had a wife who will mourn his death, and children who will mourn with her. And, of course, he will be sent to hell like the woman said, for he killed a little boy.

Question: How does the mystery of Monseigneurs death tie into the other mysteries in the book?

A Tale of Two Cities ch 5-6

11/19/13 A Tale of Two Cities ch 5-6

Summary: Chapter 5 all the men gather together after the trial to drink and talk. Styver points out what his friend said in the trial against Daraney. They end up discussing the “golden haired doll”, Lucie. In chapter 6 we are again brought ahead 6 months, and like the conversation in the prior chapter, Mrs.Pross tells Lori that Lucy has many suitors, but only her brother, Mr.Pross, is worthy, in her opinion. This all happens in the Manette household, however the Manettes aren't home until later that chapter. When the do arrive, they’re followed by Darnay. He tells them of a carving found in a room in the tower of London that reads “DIG”, they find it to be a messege and dig right at the spot. He finds a burnt piece of paper.

Quote: “‘The raindrops are falling, large, heavy, and few” said Dr. Manette, “It comes slowly’”

Significance of Quote: Due to what they have recently discussed, and Dr.Manette's odd self, this is message within itself. Dr.Manette knows that Darnay's discovery will bring with it many other problems and mysteries with it. This is foreshadowing on what is soon to come in the story, for the burnt letter will bring with it another problem.

Reflection: Although chapter 5 wasnt very interesting, it did bring with it some insight to how the men acted in this book. Dickens makes it so the men do have lives outside of the court, and shows how normal they are. In chapter 6, it is filled with foreshadowing; with the quote discussed above, and what Lucie points out near the end of the chapter. She remarks on the echoes the footsteps created by her and the men make, for she thinks the many echoing footsteps are those of the people who are to enter their lives soon. That and what Dr.Manette said are tied together, they both are foreshadowing what is to jump into their lives next.

Question: Why does Dr.Manette keep his shoemaking bench from his days imprisoned?

Tale of Two Cities ch 1-4

11/18/13       Tale of Two Cities ch 1-4

Summary:  In these chapter we are brought ahead 5 years, and the focus is shifted towards a man named Charles Darnay, who is brought to court for a crime. All the characters from the earlier chapters are all involved in his case, being witnesses. Lucie seems to help with the criminals stance, as her father is very useless. By the last chapter the focus is back on the original group, as they sit in the hallway after the court session.

Quote: “The judge, whose eyes had gone in the general direction, recalled them, leaned back in his seat, and looked steadily at the man whose life was in his hand, as Mr. Attorney-General rose to spin the rope, grind the axe, and hammer the nails into the scaffold.”

Significance of Quote: Dickens quietly tells that the judge is on the criminals side, for he knows he had done nothing wrong. The criminals soft looks and young age make him appear to be innocent, however we cannot truly tell until we are given direct evidence about it.

Reflection:  Now we are given more conflict in this story- the group of travellers encountered a new problem in their journey back to England, however they didn't know it was actually a problem until five years later. Dickens really knows how to create a good story, for already this is gripping. The way he describes the streets of England in chapter 1, being just as sad and gloomy as Paris. But on these streets the roughness is purposely there. As said in the chapter, if the streets didn't look scary and cold, they wouldn't be respected, they would be taken advantage of. Dickens really thinks about how the setting would affect the story and how it makes the tone of the novel sound.

Question: What did Darney do and why wasn't his crime brought up until now?

A Tale Of Two Cities ch 5-6

11/13/13 A Tale Of Two Cities ch 5-6

Summary: In chapter the writer describes the streets of Saint Antoine, where poor people scramble for spilled wine on the side of the curb. He is sure to tell of the sorrow faces and grey buildings. We are introduced to Monsieur Defarge and his wife, the winesellers, and Lorry and Miss.Manette are taken to a locked door to meet an insane man, Mr.Manette.

In chapter 6 Lorry, Miss.Manette, and Defarge try to talk to the mad shoemaker locked in the room. They notice that he isn't totally gone. The daughter and father stay the night up in the room together until the 4 depart the next day to England.

Quote: “..the children had ancient faces and grave voices; and upon them, and upon the grown faces, and ploughed into every furrow of age and coming up afresh, was the sign, Hunger.”

Significance of Quote: Dickens uses this to describe Paris. Compared to England, it is rather starved and grey and sad. The people are poor and hungry,as said in this quote. The way he describes the streets of Paris remind me of Les Miserables. The “children had ancient faces and grave voices” means that they are dirty and sad, very thinned out like a person nearing their death. This paragraph was really sad.

Reflection: Dickens is making France sound like a place where only bad things happen; like the hungry people on the streets, and the british men that go mad there. Throughout these chapters people refer to France as “dirty” “poor” “hungry” and wanting people to leave it for their own good as soon as possible. Dickens is creating a huge difference between France and England; France being poor and grey, and England being rich and colorful.

Question: How was Miss.Manette so sure that her father wouldn't jab at her with the shoemaker's knife when she made her move to talk to him?

A Tale of Two Cities ch1-4

11/12/13 A Tale of Two Cities ch1-4

Summary: I don't quite understand what was going on in these chapters, though I seem to have got the main idea. I see that the writer, Charles Dickens, is fusing together the lives of different people from England and Paris. People in Paris seem to be more of the realistic point of view, as in England they believe more in the supernatural occurrences. A man named Lorry fell asleep and  had a dream that he digs someone out of their grave. When he gets off the coach he meets a girl, Lucie Manette; he tells her that her father isn't actually dead.

Quote: “All these things, and a thousand like them, came to pass in and close upon the dear old year one thousand seven in and close upon the dear old

Significance of Quote: This quote sets the time period and the way that Dickens is going to write this story out. Because of this quote we now know that the novel is set during the 1700s.

Reflection: This novel, like Jane Eyre, incorporates both the supernatural and realistic points of view. Because this is a victorian novel, it has a lot more of realistic evidence that I believe will over rule the supernatural ones. Dickens decided to make England the supernatural setting because back then thats what was going on, people had growing suspicions, as we know of after the witch trials in the 1600s. France was most on the idealistic side, as Englands realistic ideas were only growing as this book was written. Also, supernatural stories were known as being the most entertaining back then. But so were realistic novels and such. Thats why Dickens incorporates both these ideas.

Question: What made Lorry think that Lucy's father wasn't really dead? Was it his dream that he had on the coach ride, or was it something else?

She Walks In Beauty

11/6/13 “She Walks in Beauty” Lord Byron

Summary: Lord Byron compares a woman he admires to nature, the sky and its stars. He uses a lot of similes  in this poem. He says that this woman is calm and innocent looking, with the features of a goddess.

Quote: “She walks in beauty, like the night of cloudless climes and starry skies;”

Significance of Quote: This is a simile saying that this woman shares the beauty of the stars on a cloudless night. “she walks” meaning that she doesn’t know how beautiful she is, that she doesnt try to be beautiful, it just happens.

Reflection: Lord Byron is admiring a woman he doesnt know, for he doesnt use specific names or personal things about her. He tells of her innocent beauty, meaning that she is silent and unaware of her beauty. She hit him with so much force that Byron  had a sudden idea to write a piece about her. This could also be referring to all women; he could be saying that all females have unknown beauty inside them, or that they dont think they are beautiful but they really are. This poem could be very assuring and incorporate every woman in the world who don’t feel beautiful.

Question: Was the woman who inspired Byron to write this poem his wife or somebody he knew?

"Ozymandias" by Shelley

11/5/13 "Ozymandias" Shelley

Summary: A man tells of his encounter with a traveller who spoke of his “antique land” where there are two headstones that belong to the king Ozymandias who is apparently half sunken in the sand where the stones lie.

Quote: “...the lone and level sands stretch far away”

Significance of Quote: This line is an imagery that makes you think of a never-ending, and empty sand desert. It makes this small poem even more in depth and sad than it already is, because it makes the gravestones of the past king seem distant and forgotten.

Reflection:  This poem gives off a very sad, and cold feeling from reading it. Shelleys forgotten king, Ozymandias is a reference to how people can forget their past loved ones, or take them for granted when they are alive. It also portrays the loneliness people can live with, feeling like they are completely alone in a desert of sand that goes on for miles, but they are really surrounded by people everywhere.

Question: Did Shelley write this as a memorial to somebody important in his life whom he had once taken for granted?

“I wandered lonely as a cloud” by William Wordsworth

11/4/13 “I wandered lonely as a cloud” William Wordsworth

Summary: William writes about his journey among the daffodils and trees as if he were a wandering cloud, when really he was having a dream as he fell asleep on his couch and was dreaming.

Quote: “Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.”

Significance of Quote: This quote has the use of rhyme and is very poetic. The two words that rhyme, “trees” and “breeze”, dont have the same ending letters, but they sound they make is so similar that they basically rhyme. The use of imagery in this line is obious; “fluttering and dancing in the breeze” makes you think of a leaf in a windy autumn day.

Reflection: This poem was very soothing, and it made me feel happy. The way William worded his sentences, in a way that they make sense, was nice. I belive he was writing about what he wished he was doing at that moment, instead of sitting there on his couch. Imagening he is flying above the trees as if he were a cloud on a windy day. He described the things that people feel when they are in really good moods, and this poem kinda puts you in that mood. The words flow together in a way that makes it so we feel that way, it is the meter and feet that do so.

Question: Was this poem made to make people who read it feel calmed and happy as it did to me?

JANE EYRE CH 35-36

10/30/13 Jane Eyre Ch 35-36

Summary: Jane is still being pushed into marriage by St.John, and she almost falls for it until she has a bad feeling about Rochester. In chapter 36, she travels back to Thornfield because of that feeling, only to find the house in total ruin. She learns that Bertha had set the house on fire months earlier; Rochester saved many of the servants along with his daughter, and he tried to save Bertha but she jumped off the roof before he could reach her. He lost his hand and his sight in the incident, and is now living in a place called Ferdean with John and Mary.

Quote: "I recalled the voice I had heard; again I questioned whence it came, as vainly as before: it seemed in me--not in the external world. I asked, was it a mere nervous impression--a delusion? I could not conceive or believe: it was more like an inspiration.”

Significance of Quote: Jane couldn't tell if the voice she heard was just her imagination or really Rochester calling for her.She believes it is really a sign to go back to Thornfield to see Rochester, instead of going to India with St.John.

Reflection: What happened to Rochester is what people call Karma. He married as a mistake to someone he didn't love, then lied to Jane as well as putting her in danger by letting her live in the same house his insane wife was entrapped. So Karma gave came back for him, leaving him with one hand and no vision. This incident, however, is a good reason for Jane to return to Rochester. She can tell him how much she loves him and tell of all she has done since she left him. It will be like starting over for them.

Question: What do you think would have changed if Jane had stayed with Rochester instead of leaving, would they have moved away and avoided the Bertha’s fire, or would they have stayed and gotten themselves killed in the flames?

JANE EYRE CH 33-34

10/30/13 Jane Eyre ch 33-34

Summary: In chapter 33 Janes identity is revealed, because her uncle John Eyre has died leaving her 20,000 pounds.With this discovery she also finds out that St.John is her cousin! She shares her fortune with her cousins evenly. The next chapter St.John becomes very weird and depressed. Rosamond is engaged to some rich guy leaving St.john lonely and heartbroken. He abruptly asks Jane to go to India with him as a missionary and his wife. Obviously Jane says no to marrying him, but that only angers him.

Quote:  "I had found a brother: one I could be proud of,--one I could love; and two sisters whose qualities were such that, when I knew them but as mere strangers, they had inspired me with genuine affection and admiration. The two girls on whom, kneeling down on the wet ground, and looking through the low, latticed window of Moor House kitchen, I had gazed...were my near kinswoman, and the young and stately gentleman who had found me almost dying at his threshold was my blood relation. Glorious discovery to a lonely wretch!”

Significance of Quote: This is important quote because Jane has only known of the Reeds and John Eyre, whom she has never met. The Reeds, being the only family she ever knew, were horrible people who were cruel to her. Now that she has met her cousins and has grown close to them as friends, she is finally happy.

Reflection: I am beginning to see a pattern in this story:Jane will have a good streak of time, then it will be be cut short with something bad. As an example, she was excited for her wedding and was deep in love, but then the wedding was abruptly interrupted with horrible news. Here she was so happy when she found out she had more family, whom she was already good friends with, and she had just inherited a huge fortune-but then,of course, St.John has to make it awkward by asking to be his wife. Though he did say it only because he was sad about Rosamonds engagement. He didnt have to ruin Janes good streak by saying that.

Question: Why was Jane trying so hard to keep her identity a secret?

JANE EYRE CH 31-32

10/29/13 Jane Eyre Ch 31-32

Summary: Jane begins teaching at Morton while living in a cottage that Rosamond provided her. She cannot stop thinking about mr.Rochester. In chapter 32 Jane has weird nightmares about Mr.Rochester, as she becomes loved by her students more. Rosamond asks Jane to draw a portrait of her, which she does, but is then interrupted by St.John as he tells Jane about his love for Rosemond. Randomly, St.John see’s something at the corner of the drawing and rips it off, then leaves the room.

Quote: “he continued to gaze at the picture:the longer he looked, te firmer he held it, the more he seemed to covet it. “

Significance of Quote: The description of the look st.john has while gazing into the portrait of Rosamond symbolises the love those two share; also,it symbolises the opposite love that Mr.Rochester shares with Jane, because their love was only secrets and drama.

Reflection: As Jane lives out her new life there is still Mr.Rochester holding her back, even though he is miles and miles away from her. The dreams she's experiencing are just with her acting as obstacles from moving on, which is what I believe Charlotte Bronte was trying to convey here. With all the wonderful people Jane has connected to in Morton, she shouldn't have to live with the pit in her stomach from leaving Mr.Rochester in the dead of the night. Love, being a very popular topic for writing pieces in this time period, is also here in this novel, but it also shows the bad outcomes it can have. Hopefully, Jane will completely forget and forgive Mr.Rochester sometime before the end.

Question: Why did St.John tear off the corner of Janes picture? What was on it?

JANE EYRE CH 27-28

10/24/13 Jane Eyre Ch 27-28

Summary: Jane attempts to leave Thornridge but is stopped by Mr.Rochester. He then explains everything about his wife, why he married her, and how she changed. Jane, unstettled and awkward, goes back to her room to, then in chapter 28, have a dream where her mother tells her to flee- Thats exactly what Jane does. Jane revokes to the life of a beggar, with no payment or iheritance from her uncle. One night she falls upon a doorstep of two sisters, crying for help. Their brother St.John brings Jane inside, the siblings give her a place to stay and food. She calls herself Jane Elliot.

Quote: Feeling . . . clamoured wildly. “Oh, comply!” it said. “. . . soothe him; save him; love him; tell him you love him and will be his. Who in the world cares for you? or who will be injured by what you do?”

Significance of Quote: Shes confused, Mr.Rochester is telling her to stay with him, but she knows it is wrong to do. Though the idea of leaving him is hard to bear because he was her first true love. This is her scrambled and undecisive thoughts trying to piece themselves together; which they do, in chapter 28 when she leaves.

Reflection: These chapters just show how Mr.Rochester isnt the one for Jane, he was a bridge to her new life. All of the drama in his family is too much for Jane, for shes already been thorugh enough. These new people she met, they are going to be apart of her new life: the life of Jane Elliot. From now on her new journey begins, leaving Mr.Rochester and his problems behind with Jane Eyre. Maybe one day they will meet and he will legaly be single, but for now this chapter was a start of a new life for her.

Question of the day: Will Jane and Mr.Rochester end up together?

JANE EYRE CH 25-26

10/23/13                 Jane Eyre CH 25-26

Summary: Jane is basically freaking out and having unexplainable dreams about babies, which as she discussed earlier is a bad omen. However, one dream she has isn't in fact a dream, but reality: She awakes to find Grace Poole in her closet destroying her Janes veil. Mr.Rochester tells Jane that he will explain Graces situation once they are married for one year and one day. Chapter 26 was amazing; the day of the wedding, turns into a day of truth for Mr.Rochester. He has an insane first wife whom he has been married to for several years and has been under the care of Grace Poole (which explains why Grace acts so oddly). This leaves Jane heart broken, like any wife would be if she found out her husband had a second wife.

Quote: ”What it was, whether beast or human being, one could not, at first sight, tell: it grovelled, seemingly, on all fours; it snatched and growled like some strange wild animal: but it was covered with clothing, and a quantity of dark, grizzled hair, wild as a mane, hid its head and face.”

Significance of Quote:The description of Bertha Mason gave me chills. It reminded me of something out of an Exorcism movie, the way she acted and was dressed. This also shows either that Mr.Rochester is a horrible husband for containing his wife for so long, or that he is a poor man who got into a marriage with the wrong woman. For Jane to witness this woman act so inhumane and know she is Mr.Rochesters wife, that must have been so terrifying. She needs a better explanation from him.

Reflection: Mr. Rochester has too many secrets that he's hiding from Jane. All the mysterious secrets of Grace Poole and his family, they all led up to this giant truth. All The bad omens and nightmares Jane had after the proposal were signs not to marry Mr.Rochester. The lightning striking the chestnut tree was also a sign that she had made the wrong decision. This book has so much symbolism in it.

Question: Was Bertha Mason actually insane when Mr. Rochester locked her up, or did locking her up make her insane?